Transcript Chapter Three: Supporting Details

BUILDING
VOCABULARY SKILLS
Fourth Edition
Sherrie L. Nist
© 2010 Townsend Press
Unit Five: Chapter 30
• accelerate
• comparable
• adverse
• competent
• advocate
• consecutive
• audible
• conspicuous
• coherent
• deteriorate
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 accelerate
– verb
• The sleds began sliding down the hill slowly and then
accelerated to top speed.
• Brendan’s car accelerated rapidly, allowing him to catch up with
the slowly moving ice-cream truck.
Accelerate means
A. to go down.
B. to go faster.
C. to hesitate.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 accelerate
– verb
• The sleds began sliding down the hill slowly and then
accelerated to top speed.
• Brendan’s car accelerated rapidly, allowing him to catch up with
the slowly moving ice-cream truck.
Accelerate means
A. to go down.
B. to go faster.
C. to hesitate.
If the sleds started slowly and ended up at top speed, they must
have gone faster as they moved down the hill. If Brendan caught
up with the ice-cream truck, he must have made his car go faster.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 adverse
– adjective
• Mozart created musical masterpieces in spite of his adverse
circumstances—illness and debt.
• Adverse newspaper reviews persuaded many people not to see
the violent new movie.
Adverse means
A. unknown.
B. unfavorable.
C. unnecessary.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 adverse
– adjective
• Mozart created musical masterpieces in spite of his adverse
circumstances—illness and debt.
• Adverse newspaper reviews persuaded many people not to see
the violent new movie.
Adverse means
A. unknown.
B. unfavorable.
C. unnecessary.
Illness and debt are unfavorable
circumstances. Unfavorable reviews
would persuade people not to see
the movie.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 advocate
– noun
• My physician is an advocate of using nicotine gum to quit
smoking. She says the gum helps people resist cigarettes.
• Our mayor is a strong advocate of a drug-free America. He often
mentions it in his talks to different civic groups.
Advocate means
A. a critic.
B. an example.
C. a supporter.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 advocate
– noun
• My physician is an advocate of using nicotine gum to quit
smoking. She says the gum helps people resist cigarettes.
• Our mayor is a strong advocate of a drug-free America. He often
mentions it in his talks to different civic groups.
Advocate means
A. a critic.
B. an example.
C. a supporter.
If the physician thinks the gum helps, she would be a supporter of it.
If the mayor often mentions the idea of a drug-free America, he must
be a supporter of the idea.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 audible
– adjective
• Dogs, bats, and other animals can hear high-pitched sounds that
are not audible to humans.
• The argument next door was barely audible. So I put a plastic
cup on the wall and put my ear to the cup so I could hear better.
Audible means
A. useful.
B. logical.
C. hearable.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 audible
– adjective
• Dogs, bats, and other animals can hear high-pitched sounds that
are not audible to humans.
• The argument next door was barely audible. So I put a plastic
cup on the wall and put my ear to the cup so I could hear better.
Audible means
A. useful.
B. logical.
C. hearable.
In both items, the word hear suggests that audible means “hearable.”
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 coherent
– adjective
• To be sure that your essay has a coherent organization, write an
outline first.
• The article about the robbery was not coherent. The events were
not presented in logical order.
Coherent means
A. clear.
B. complicated.
C. long.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 coherent
– adjective
• To be sure that your essay has a coherent organization, write an
outline first.
• The article about the robbery was not coherent. The events were
not presented in logical order.
Coherent means
A. clear.
B. complicated.
C. long.
An outline helps give the essay clear organization. In the second
item, if the events were not presented in logical order, the article
would not be clear.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 comparable
– adjective
• Since the quality of low-mileage used cars is often comparable
to that of brand-new ones, my parents never buy new cars.
• Because the two jobs were comparable in challenge, interest,
and salary, Santos had trouble deciding which to take.
Comparable means
A. helpful.
B. nearly alike.
C. different.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 comparable
– adjective
• Since the quality of low-mileage used cars is often comparable
to that of brand-new ones, my parents never buy new cars.
• Because the two jobs were comparable in challenge, interest,
and salary, Santos had trouble deciding which to take.
Comparable means
A. helpful.
B. nearly alike.
C. different.
If the parents buy used cars, the quality of used cars and new cars
must be nearly alike. If Santos had trouble deciding which job to
take, they must have been nearly alike in challenge, interest, and
salary.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 competent
– adjective
• Some secretaries are more competent than their bosses. They
know more about the business, are better organized, and work
much harder.
• To be a competent juggler takes a lot of practice.
Competent means
A. honest.
B. friendly.
C. skilled.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 competent
– adjective
• Some secretaries are more competent than their bosses. They
know more about the business, are better organized, and work
much harder.
• To be a competent juggler takes a lot of practice.
Competent means
A. honest.
B. friendly.
C. skilled.
Secretaries who know more about the business and are better
organized than their bosses are more skilled than their bosses.
Practice would make one a skilled juggler.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 consecutive
– adjective
• The reporters would work nights for two consecutive weeks, and
then they’d work days for a month straight.
• First Reiko had the flu. That was immediately followed by strep
throat, which was followed by pneumonia. These consecutive
illnesses kept her out of work for two months.
Consecutive means
A. minor.
B. obvious.
C. happening in a row.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 consecutive
– adjective
• The reporters would work nights for two consecutive weeks, and
then they’d work days for a month straight.
• First Reiko had the flu. That was immediately followed by strep
throat, which was followed by pneumonia. These consecutive
illnesses kept her out of work for two months.
Consecutive means
A. minor.
B. obvious.
C. happening in a row.
The fact that the reporters worked days for a month straight suggests
that they worked nights for two weeks in a row. Reiko’s three illnesses
are described as happening in a row. The words first and followed are
clues.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 conspicuous
– adjective
• Nina’s wide-brimmed red hat is so conspicuous that it’s
impossible not to catch sight of her in a crowd.
• The new skyscraper stands fifty stories high, making it the tallest
and thus the most conspicuous building in the city’s skyline.
Conspicuous means
A. noticeable.
B. poor in quality or condition.
C. serious.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 conspicuous
– adjective
• Nina’s wide-brimmed red hat is so conspicuous that it’s
impossible not to catch sight of her in a crowd.
• The new skyscraper stands fifty stories high, making it the tallest
and thus the most conspicuous building in the city’s skyline.
Conspicuous means
A. noticeable.
B. poor in quality or condition.
C. serious.
If it’s impossible not to catch sight of
Nina in a crowd, the hat must be
noticeable. The tallest building in the
skyline would be the most noticeable
building.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 deteriorate
– verb
• Over many years, the abandoned house had deteriorated until its
walls crumbled and its floorboards rotted.
• Tonya’s health continued to deteriorate until her classmates
started to visit her regularly. Then she began to improve.
Deteriorate means
A. to stay the same.
B. to improve.
C. to decay.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 deteriorate
– verb
• Over many years, the abandoned house had deteriorated until its
walls crumbled and its floorboards rotted.
• Tonya’s health continued to deteriorate until her classmates
started to visit her regularly. Then she began to improve.
Deteriorate means
A. to stay the same.
B. to improve.
C. to decay.
Crumbled walls and rotted floorboards
suggest the house has decayed. In
contrast with Tonya’s health improving,
her health had been decaying before
her classmates’ regular visits.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. accelerate
B. adverse
C. advocate
D. audible
E. coherent
F. comparable
G. competent
H. consecutive I. conspicuous J. deteriorate
1. Dee doesn’t like to be __________, so she sits in the
back of the classroom, where few people can see her.
2. Anyone can become a(n) _______ cook, but few people
develop into great chefs.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. accelerate
B. adverse
C. advocate
D. audible
E. coherent
F. comparable
G. competent
H. consecutive I. conspicuous J. deteriorate
1. Dee doesn’t like to be __________,
conspicuous so she sits in the
back of the classroom, where few people can see her.
Sitting in the back where she can’t be seen would help Dee avoid
being easily noticed.
2. Anyone can become a _________
competent cook, but few people
develop into great chefs.
Being a capable cook is contrasted with being a great chef.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. accelerate
B. adverse
C. advocate
D. audible
E. coherent
F. comparable
G. competent
H. consecutive I. conspicuous J. deteriorate
3. The weather was bad, and two of the astronauts were
sick. Because of these __________ conditions, the
shuttle flight was canceled.
4. Since I care about the environment, I’m a(n) _______ of
passing laws that limit the amount of pollution in the air.
5. When the comedian sensed his audience was becoming
bored, he _________d his pace to more jokes per minute.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. accelerate
B. adverse
C. advocate
D. audible
E. coherent
F. comparable
G. competent
H. consecutive I. conspicuous J. deteriorate
3. The weather was bad, and two of the astronauts were
sick. Because of these __________
adverse conditions, the
shuttle flight was canceled.
Bad weather and illness are two examples of unfavorable conditions.
4. Since I care about the environment, I’m an ________
advocate of
passing laws that limit the amount of pollution in the air.
Someone who cares about the environment would be a supporter
of laws limiting air pollution.
5. When the comedian sensed his audience was becoming
bored, he __________
accelerated his pace to more jokes per minute.
If the comedian began telling more jokes per minute, he must have
speeded up his pace.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. accelerate
B. adverse
C. advocate
D. audible
E. coherent
F. comparable
G. competent
H. consecutive I. conspicuous J. deteriorate
6. At the movies, Tina put her arm around Ben and said in
a barely __________ whisper, “I love you. Pass the
popcorn.”
7. Ben and Tina’s relationship began to __________ after
they had a big fight over money.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. accelerate
B. adverse
C. advocate
D. audible
E. coherent
F. comparable
G. competent
H. consecutive I. conspicuous J. deteriorate
6. At the movies, Tina put her arm around Ben and said in
a barely __________
whisper, “I love you. Pass the
audible
popcorn.”
If Tina is whispering, she would barely be able to be heard.
7. Ben and Tina’s relationship began to __________
deteriorate after
they had a big fight over money.
Having a big fight over money is likely to make a relationship
become weaker.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. accelerate
B. adverse
C. advocate
D. audible
E. coherent
F. comparable
G. competent
H. consecutive I. conspicuous J. deteriorate
8. People often bring up their own children in a manner that is
__________ to the way they were raised. Thus abused
children may become abusing parents.
9. During her high fever, Celia loudly called out broken words
and phrases. She seemed unable to speak in full,
__________ sentences.
10. There was no break in the summer’s heat. Records were
set nationwide for the number of __________ days above
ninety degrees.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. accelerate
B. adverse
C. advocate
D. audible
E. coherent
F. comparable
G. competent
H. consecutive I. conspicuous J. deteriorate
8. People often bring up their own children in a manner that is
__________
comparable to the way they were raised. Thus abused
children may become abusing parents.
The second sentence gives an example of parents raising their children
in a manner similar to the way the parents were raised.
9. During her high fever, Celia loudly called out broken words
and phrases. She seemed unable to speak in full,
__________
coherent sentences.
If Celia is using broken words and phrases, she is not speaking in an
organized way.
10. There was no break in the summer’s heat. Records were
set nationwide for the number of __________
consecutive days above
ninety degrees.
If there was no break, the ninety-degree days must have followed one
after another without interruption.